All road frames (budget end)

We need to add to the fleet to cover family group rides now teens are adult dimensions. They have outgrown their small framed MTBs and based on current riding scenarios I’m looking at an all road/light gravel build which will enable us to do family days and the odd easy tour (in my dreams…)

I have some bits kicking about from my crashed CX bike, namely an older Ultegra 11spd hydro drop bar groupset with a 48/34 front and flat mount brakes.

I’ve been looking at frames at under £600, and am thinking to try to build something that a skinny teen will enjoy taking out (ie. not too heavy, comfortable for multiday and fun). Second hand doesn’t seem to be turning much up on ebay.

Criteria are:

-Medium / Large frame (to suit 5’11)

-Mounts for rack and mudguards desirable but not required.

-Thru axle

-Tyre space for 32mm, ideally more.

-More road orientated than off road in terms of geometry.

-Not too heavy.

-Probably an aluminium frame as carbon is too expensive for something which may not get a huge amount of use, and at that price point, I’m not sure I’ll get a decent, light steel frame. Needs to be able to take the older brakes with adapters.

-Carbon fork

-I’ve got wheels already.

Sonder Colibri is looking like an option, they’ve very cheap frames on ebay currently, although a bit limited for wider tyres. Anything else I should be looking at 40mm clearance would be great  as I’ve a set of almost brand new G-ones also kicking around.

Look forward to forum suggestions

Thanks in advance.

Sonder Camino v1 or 2 maybe, if you can tolerate QR?  ie pre geo change.

HUPcc have some cross frames for £500. They take 40c tyres.

I like my Colibri.  Light, fast, comfy and surprisingly good on minor offroad stuff like rough tracks and Sustrans paths.  Will take 35mm tyres if you don’t fit mudguards.

Kinesis probably have a frame that fits your needs/budget.

ICAN Cyclocross Frameset AC388

Meets all criteria apart from rack/guard mounts.

Thanks folks, that Ican looks great but out of stock in 55cm..

Having checked properly, I have spare post mount brakes but a bit of googling suggests adapters are easy to get hold of. (Edit, looks like I may need to add new flat mount rear caliper to the build list..)

The HupCC also looks good, a bit light on fixings for bolting things to but a similar weight to the Colibri with more tyre options.

The Tripster AT looks good but right at the top end of budget in the right size.

The super cheap Colibri option I’ve seen needs forks, any suggestions for decent value carbon fork options?

I’ve built a few of these up recently –
https://www.chickencyclekit.co.uk/shop/frames/rostra-disc-alloy-frameset/

Really nicely made frames, super easy to build… And I think it fits all your criteria?

Definitely worth a look
If you are interested I can get you a couple of ££ off, drop me a PM

(Not a sneaky classified add, just happy to try and help)

Edit – As i just saw your updated post above.. I have built one with post – flat mount adapters before too and it worked really well

The super cheap Colibri option I’ve seen needs forks, any suggestions for decent value carbon fork options?

@davy90 I have a set of Planet X carbon forks from my old London road hanging around in my garage. The frame developed a crack but the fork is still good. QR drop outs and will take a 45mm tyre and proper mudguards. You could have them for £30.

Thanks

Will have a compare of geometries and check against my current bikes for size this weekend.

The Tifosi is on the list.

@ads678, thanks for the offer, I’ve a carbon qr fork already from my broken frame. Looking for a thru axle set up so I don’t need to faff with adapters.

Cheers

Sweet, no worries.

Got a medium Genesis Datum frameset if of interest? I ran it as a gravel bike, though it is really an all-road frame.

Let me know if any use?

Discussed this with the kids (14 and 16), zero interest….. They’ve changed so much over the last few years… Sigh…

May build a bike anyway just to use up the parts, they may change their mind..

@sillyoldman, pm incoming.

I’m mulling a similar frame hunt (next year) and lots of the same options have popped up (note: the size 56 Rostra in black is only £350 on merlin currently OP https://www.merlincycles.com/tifosi-rostra-disc-alloy-frameset-245356.html)

I sort of want the same thing, a roadyish Gravel frame that I can run a sub-compact 2x drivetrain on, with guards, 12mm axles, flat mount calipers and be able to to swap from 700x40c gravel wheels to whatever sized road tyres with minimal fuss.

The precursor experiment is going ok so far:

If you ignore how comical 28c tyres look in those guards.

(*Nope I’d never recommend a London road, despite somehow getting a decade and counting out of this one)

Last week I was considering a Marino frame to my own numbers, cost wise it’s not crazy, but I’ll admit those HUPcc frames appeal as it would easily be a kilo lighter I would of course need to break out the drill and rivnuts immediately and void the warranty though. Is the Ribble CGR still a frameset option? The website seems borked and I can’t find frame only options.

So the large framed Tifosi doesn’t seem too far from my medium Revolt to be a sensible option. I’m actually liking the external cable routing… Hopefully will also fit on the Wahoo Kickr Snap (the Revolt doesn’t due to a quirk of the frame)..

After today’s thrash about Swinley, I also need to sort a new seat post for the Scott Scale as no matter how tight I nip it up, including carbon paste, the seat tilts up after a few bumps..

Yeah the Tifosi came close for me, but the tyre clearance isn’t going to be enough for 700×40 with guards.

The other candidate Al frame that seemed to keep popping up is the Cinelli Zydeco mud, except the chainstays seem a smidge too long to me.

I’m being picky myself but that’s because I have no immediate pressure to buy a new frame and would prefer to bide my time and get the right one this time, the last not quite right frame is still hanging about and not dying a decade or so later…

If you are going to build it yourself then there is a Felt Breed 30 on merlin cycles in medium for about 1k. There;s a slightly cheaper one with a chip. It might work? Chainset has smallish rings on but you can ger 2x grx with a 48t relatively cheap, selling the other one. Same for the wheels. Becomes a hassle but might be a budget option?

https://www.merlincycles.com/felt-breed-30-grx-gravel-bike-boxed-bike-316151.html?utm_source=PHG&amp%3Butm_medium=AffiliateMarketing&amp%3Butm_campaign=phg-GB&amp%3Bucpo=216110&source=PHG&utm_medium=Affiliates&utm_campaign=kelkoo_uk

Currently got some money to spend, thinking about a winter/allroad bike. Not sure how much I’d actually ride it though. Got a gravel bike and race bike along with XC bike and trail bike. Right now leaning towards the colibri rival mechanical and going down the cheap route and saving the rest to maintain the others.

Carbonda CFR 696?  Mine was £500 including a colour of my choice and shipping from China.  That was 2020.  35k km later and it’s doing well aside from some galvanic corrosion between the guard mounts and bolts.

https://www.carbonda.com/road/cfr-696.html

I have the hup frame as my CX race bike. It’s nice and I like riding it but for gravel my escapade is better. Being a CX frame the hup is not compact. I’ve a 58 and it looks big, it’s also a higher BB. It’s 9kg at the moment with xtr pedals, grx 600, carbon saddle and 1.5kg wheels. My escapade by comparison has a lot more seat post showing and better standover despite being very similar length.

For the last 2 years hup have done big black Friday discounts. I paid a lot less for my frame last year. If you went that way might be worth holding off for the extra few weeks.

Cheers folks, there is a Dolan GXE which is similar to the Carbonda offer. All a bit above the budget I’ve allowed myself now the kids are not interested..

The Tifosi at £350 is in the lead as cheaper than the discounted Colibri when you account for the lack of forks…

In other news I priced up a new seat post (Ritchey Flex Logic WCS) for the Scott Scale (£150 odd!) so cleaned up the current somewhat worn one, attacked the knuckle with a Dremel and reassembled with lots of carbon paste… Seemed to work hopefully it holds.

The GXA (Aluminium version) is on my radar, does the dropped chainstay on the CFR696/GXE play well with chain clearance and a 30t inner ring?

Planet-x london road is £150 today in their 7 day sale.

Planet-x london road is £150 today in their 7 day sale.

Yeah but then you end up owning a planet X London Road*…

London Road at that price is compelling, add forks and a few bits and still cheaper than the cheap Tifosi.

Given the price point, what’s actually wrong with it?

It will end up being a commuter for me with full guards for 90% of its use with the odd tour/easy gravel day ridden by Junior Davy90s if I can prise them away from their screens, and possibly attached to a Kickr Snap on cold wet Sundays…

I have nice bikes already for fun stuff.

I paid £150 for the V1 (QR) version back in 2015, (that included a fork at the time) the quality of it was questionable…

Mine is from the “Wizards Sleeve” batch where the seat tube was reamed to 31.8mm (not the intended 31.6mm) for which I currently run a 3D printed shim and had previously tracked down a 31.8mm diameter seatpost (not a common size). The BB ain’t quite right either… Basically it’s shit due to imaginary QC.

PX obfuscated and bullshitted several punters with that batch of LR frames.
I persevered with it (I love a “bargain” see), but I wouldn’t spend more money than that £150 on any of their products ever again, and I couldn’t in good conscience recommend PX/OO to anyone else as a result.

Plus to get a frameset with a fork (which most people would actually want) they actually want £250,, and then a bit more for a headset, etc, etc you’ll probably end up handing them ~£300.

So Nah, it’s cheap but that doesn’t make it a ‘Bargain‘ (IMO/IME)…

The Geometry is fine, the weight perfectly acceptable and I’m sure there’s plenty of people with positive anecdotes WRT PX/OO quality, but that specific product is the one I want to replace on the grounds of quality and that previous experience with them means I don’t want a new London Road at any price, too much of a gamble IMO…

But that’s just me.

Edit: here you go, 18 pages of London Road chat: https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-planet-x-london-road-frmaeset-for-150/?links=false%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F

Thanks, think I’ll give the London Road a swerve…